A few weeks ago, my co-worker asked me if she could give me a free skin care analysis. She was training to be an Artistry representative and wanted to practice on different skin types. In case you're not familiar with Artistry, it's the leading door to door makeup/skincare brand like Mary Kay and Avon. My old roommate/bestie uses it so I was familiar with it.
Of course I was psyched to get my skin analyzed. For the past several months I've taken pretty good care of it with a thorough skin care regimen. I also don't usually wear makeup during the work week so my skin stays relatively clean.
We went to the house of one of the Artistry reps who was training my co-worker. She asked us to wash off anything on our face.
Next we were asked to stick our head under this hi-tech machine. This is my co-worker Toni under the machine. Inside there is a mirror with reflective UV lights that make any imperfections in your skin shine as purple.
My Skin Care Analysis
I informed them my problem areas: clogged pores on the nose and dry, sensitive skin. The analyst agreed with that and stated that I also had minor sun damage and fine lines. She then put some artistry products on one side of my face and let us go under the machine again to see the difference.
Once under the machine I could see that the side she exfoliated and moisturized was more clear. However, she then tried to recommend a $74 face cream...yikes! I didn't get it.
What I Purchased
She did recommend the Jojoba oil face scrub which I purchased along with the microdermabrasian cloth to go with it. This cloth is really cool because it is very delicate to the skin, but combined with the scrub it's way more effective than using your hands to apply the scrub.
I also purchased a lip conditioner/lip scrub set. I have a lip scrub by Smashbox in my kit and wanted to see how this would measure up. (The scrub isn't pictured here as it was ordered and delivered to me later).
The Results
Can you say hot mess? I first tried the scrub and lip conditioner for my lips. Mind you, my skin is super sensitive but usually I can wear most lip glosses so no biggie. I wore this lip conditioner and tried the scrub for a few days and I had the worst reaction ever!
For about 2.5 weeks I experienced things on my lips that no person should have to go through. For that reason, I haven't made any new tutorials. Even my good old aquaphor wasn't working! I even scheduled a dermatologist appointment to have it treated...I ended up cancelling it because I found some ointment from the last time I had a lip allergy a few months ago.
I tried the face scrub two weeks later...same thing! My face broke out into itchy hives that took a week to go away. Sigh...luckily my BF loves me for my internal beauty, lol.
Clearly, my skin isn't cut out for artistry products. I should have stuck with my Jan Marini skincare...if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
My takeaways
-I kept the microdermabrasian cloth - I do think it still works. I'm going to use it with my MAC pore refinisher.
-Artistry luckily has an excellent 6 month return policy, even if you finish most of the product. I'm waiting for my refund on the lip products and exfoliator.
-The UV machine is a cool gimmick, but honestly if you stuck my head under the machine with my normal face product on one half, I'm sure you'd see positive results on it as well. Of course my skin is going to look worse when analyzed without products.
-Next time I test skincare products, I'm doing a patch test first!
Hope this helped some of you guys. You may not have the same reaction I did, but I just wanted to share in case it helped another sensitive skin sister out there.
Till next time, Ciao Bellas!
Atlanta Makeup Artist
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Great post Ren. I love learning about new skin care products. I am always willing to try something once. I use Image Skincare products. Their Vital C is great for dry sensitive skin and their Ageless Line is great for all those other things us girls worry about. But like you said, if it aint broke, dont fix it.
That sounds like what happened to my cousin when she went in for a skin consultation, upsell a bunch of really pricey creams and scrubs!
oh my! i hope you're ok now! that's what my hubby always tell me to leave my skincare as is and not try something else..but we also get bored and wanted to use and try other stuffs
wow, so sorry that happened to you girl. i guess the upside is that you didn't have to pay for the analysis. hope your skin bounces back quickly.
I agree. I bought some stuff and it DID not work! if we had used our own products on our face, it would have pro. looked the same under the light
wow.that's a machine I've never seen in my life :) Well let's stick to what works for us :)
Those companies tend to make some very broad vague stuff. Nothing specific for certain skin types. You really can't beat Jan Marini. That's one of the best skincare lines out there, esp if you want to fight acne and go anti-aging. Just stick to what works! I'm an a medical esthetician and RN. Good luck!
Wow. I'm sorry to hear about your skin problems d/t new skincare products. I hate getting bad reactions like that with new products. It's hard to veer away from "what works" but at the same time it's intriguing to try new things. Hope you get better soon.
Aw, poor girl!
I'm sorry your skin broke out!
Artistry sounds really interesting .. I've never heard about it before :0
oh no! I'm using their pure white stuff and it's managed to even out my skin, no reaction, but my skin isn't really sensitive. hope it clears up really soon!
i've been hearing alot about artistry's skin care line. but luckily i read this first! because my skin is sensitive too! thanks alot for this info!
Aww Ren I appreciate you're sharing with us your experience. This is one reason I'm ever so wary to try new products since as of late my skin has been terribly sensitive. I hope everything gets better for you soon beautiful.
Yikes Ren! My intro to skincare was Mary Kay, so that's what I wear and it works great. But you're right, if what you have works, stick with it. I have allergies to certain color shadows, like blues, purples and any berry color, which I love them all!
Oh no! It sucks that Artistry didn't work for you. I went to a spa event held by Artistry before, & I also got the chance to try their "Glow" Machine. I thought it was cool! But I ended up not buying any products.. and now I'm glad I didn't! Their products seems to have a lot of fragrance in them. That's probably why it irritated their skin.
Aww, well hope your skin gets much better soon! Take care! :)
i was cracking up! that bag over the head! sorry the products didn't work out for you! go jan marini!!
Its so funny that I came across this post because I girl I knew from HS (10yrs ago), stalked my butt and is forcing Artistry on me. DO NOT WANT, DO NOT WANT!!!! She has a justification for every reason that I use as a reason why I DO NOT WANT!!!! Arghhhhh....... Sorry about your skin not liking the products. My skin is real stank and doesn't like to be messed with, your right, if it anit broke than leave it alone!!!
XoXo
I am obsessed with Jan marini's products. Hugs, DE
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